Saving Face and Flag in the Wilderness: Chauvignerie’s 1728 Voyage to Onondaga Country

Historians interested in the British-French contest for northeastern North America have generally focused their attention on periods of war; it was during armed conflicts that territory changed hands, forts were destroyed, frontiers raided, and victors decided. However, the exercise of power during periods of peace can prove just as revealing. During times of peace British and French officers like Chauvignerie often had to be resourceful in furthering their interests. With treaties placing direct violence off limits, agents of empire serving in remote locales at the mercy of Indian inhabitants, harsh environments, and shoestring budgets often proved skilled in all sorts of improvisation. Read More.